Month: July 2019

Join us on July 23

 

Join our nationwide phone action on July 23.
Sign up to support the USPS Fairness Act and save our public Postal Service.
Sign up for the phone action here>>

We have the opportunity to collectively educate the members of the House of Representatives on the value of the public Postal Service and the threats it is facing.

In 2006, Congress saddled the US Postal Service with an extraordinary financial burden of prefunding retirees’ health care costs 75 years into the future, through a law called the Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act (PAEA).

That burden has led to service and job cuts. It is also what the White House Task Force report is using to justify proposing the elimination of our right to collectively bargain wages and benefits, and threaten the sale of the public Postal Service.

This White House threat couldn’t be any more serious for postal workers and the public. It’s time for Congress to start undoing some of their damage by passing the USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382).

On July 23, I am asking you to step up and call your member of Congress. Sign up now. Be a part of our nationwide phone action.

No other Federal agency or private organization is saddled with this kind of burden.

Taking billions of dollars out of the day-to-day running of the Postal Service has prevented investments and innovations for the future. It is also part of the reason why we so often find the USPS understaffed and we are so overworked.

The White House Postal Task Force made it clear that they see an opportunity to come after our jobs and our livelihood. In their recommendations to deal with this manufactured crisis, they state: “USPS employee rights should be more closely aligned with other federal employee rights by eliminating collective bargaining over compensation.”

Part of a real solution is to get rid of this burdensome mandate.

The USPS Fairness Act (H.R. 2382) would put the Postal Service on the road to sustainability by immediately repealing that mandate.

This bill has unprecedented bipartisan support. We can get this passed if we all take action together. Sign up now. Register for our July 23rd online action day.

In union solidarity,

Legislative and Political Director, Judy Beard

Postal News Around The Country

Actor Danny Glover: My parents proudly worked for the US Postal Service. Don’t destroy it.
USA Today – Op-ed by Danny Glover

“African Americans have the most to lose from Postal Service cuts and the most to gain from innovative reforms that help the poor, like postal banking.”

How Congress Manufactured a Postal Crisis—And How to Fix it
Common Dreams

“An unprecedented congressional mandate threatens the Postal Service’s ability to continue to provide good jobs and universal service.”

Mail delivered late? Madison USPS mail carrier says there’s a severe staffing shortage
Channel 3000

“Most people expect their mail to be delivered by midafternoon. Madison resident Linda Kriesel said she’s seen her mail delivered hours late. ‘It’s bad,’ Kriesel said.  Kriesel is not alone. A U.S Postal Service mail carrier, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation, said there’s a major staffing shortage in Madison. They said it’s been this way for quite some time… In a statement, USPS said: ‘The U.S. Postal Service is a responsible employer that prudently matches our workforce to an evolving workload and adjusts staffing continuously, including workhours. The Postal Service takes great pride in safely delivering mail to every address in America. Each day a Post Office faces operational variables such as weather, scheduled vacations, unscheduled absences, high volumes, or a new employee on a route, all which may affect delivery times. We gladly work to address any specific service issue from the community when brought to our attention..”

USPS resumes mail delivery after Hurricane Barry
4WWL

“The United States Postal Service says mail delivery and retail operations will resume Monday after Hurricane Barry made landfall over the weekend.”

Jeff Bezos risks angering Trump by admitting the US Postal Service gave him a huge helping hand …
Business Insider

“Jeff Bezos said in an interview on Monday that the US Postal Service was crucial to getting Amazon off the ground, as it provided the infrastructure that enabled the business to thrive.”

POLITICS
Here’s Where the 2020 Candidates Stand on Labor

In These Times

“For a few days in April, grocery store chain in New England magnetically attracted Democratic presidential hopefuls. Thousands of Stop & Shop workers were on strike in the biggest private-sector walkout in years. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Mayor Pete Buttigieg (South Bend, Ind.), former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (Minn.) all joined picket lines to stand in solidarity. Others tweeted messages of support. “

Incoming acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella under scrutiny for work with disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff

“Incoming acting Labor Secretary Patrick Pizzella will take the helm of the department following the resignation Friday of Alex Acosta, who faced scrutiny over his role in prosecuting alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein more than a decade ago. But Pizzella, currently deputy Labor secretary, has his own controversial past that will likely come to the fore. Democratic senators and civil rights groups have expressed concern about Pizzella’s prior work with disgraced Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff in the late 1990s and early 2000s to hamper worker protections in the Northern Mariana Islands.”

Employers May Bar Union Solicitation in Their Facilities: NLRB
Bloomberg Law

“Employers may ban union representatives from promoting their union in a public space within the employer’s facilities if those representatives aren’t employees, the National Labor Relations Board ruled June 14.”